


Of Teddy Bears, a Little Bit of Ice Cream, and You

by ssyou



Category: MXM (Band), Produce 101 (TV), YDPP (Band)
Genre: M/M, Woojin is his crew turn idol, donghyun is youngmin's childhood dongsaeng, gift shop au, youngmin has a niece, youngmin in college
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-20
Updated: 2018-06-20
Packaged: 2019-05-26 01:56:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14990264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ssyou/pseuds/ssyou
Summary: Youngmin promised his niece something he might regret, or might not.





	Of Teddy Bears, a Little Bit of Ice Cream, and You

When his brother got a new baby girl, 17-year-old Im Youngmin thought he had never been so in love before. All those cliché ‘I’d die for you’ thing, the way his teacher left the class abruptly when she got a call from her daughter’s daycare, or how his mom would always kiss him before going to work suddenly made sense. The baby’s eyes weren’t even opened yet, and her little fingers looks so soft and thin as if they would break from Youngmin’s touch. Though, strangely, they didn’t. He stared at the way her thumb wrapped around his forefinger, a magnificent creature who was less than a day old and already on her way to wreck his heart.

Youngmin was more whipped than his own brother to the point he let the younger decide a name for his daughter.

“Hayoon,” he murmured, still enchanted by the way the little precious opened her mouth to yawn, simple thing like most babies do which amazed him not unlike what magic did. “Hayoon sounds good, right? It’s summer afterall,” he answered without lifting an eye.

Was the air who got in her lung clean enough? Was the air conditioner too cold? Should he, cover her with more blanket or something?

His brother glanced at his wife amused, letting out a small chuckle like he knew Youngmin would fight his spot as her best guy in the world.

“She’s our gift in the summer, very fitting. Im Hayoon that is.”

 

And that was the name of the girl who decided Youngmin’s fate later on.

 

 

-

 

 

“She already has one,” his brother said in between checking his daughter’s reaction (which was jumping excitedly on her trampoline, a gift from her mom’s friend) to Youngmin’s provoca- kind invitation and ominously staring at his little brother’s smug eyes.

“Hyung, Princess is almost 4 years old. Look at that thing, the color has even changed,” Youngmin pointed at Princess, a small pink teddy bear the size of Youngmin’s hand which its original magenta color had fade out to washed out pink while its white part on its face was more grey than white.

“Still,” his brother looked worryingly over Youngmin’s makeshift bedroom which he used everytime he visited their little family. There beyond the door were a small refrigerator with two-storey birthday cake inside it, twenty-something balloons with colors he couldn’t even name, and all birthday party equipments which were all in all too extravagant for a small birthday party for 7 people.

“Do you even still have money left after the cake and the…,” the older frowned his eyes remembering he missed one little detail when he checked the younger’s room. “…My Little Pony rocking horse?”

Youngmin smiled proudly. “Don’t worry hyung, I have some part time jobs. And afterall it’s her fifth birthday, it’s special,”

The frown on his brother’s forehead was back, that sounded like what the younger said on her first, second, third, and fourth birthday. He let out a big considering sigh and put his arm around Youngmin’s shoulder. Well, if Youngmin somehow resorted to only eating ramen for a week straight after this he could always transfer an additional zero (or two) to the younger’s bank account.

(Don’t tell Youngmin, but his brother was also whipped for Youngmin eversince they were kids as he was to his daughter)

“Okay then, just try not to pamper her too much,”

The side eye Youngmin gave to his brother was probably well deserved.

“You’re one to talk, hyung,”

Hayoon jumped off of the trampoline as soon as she saw her father and favorite uncle approaching, her mom held her hands carefully so she didn’t fall.

“Uncle Youngmin,” she hugged Youngmin’s leg and the older’s heart died a little. Her fingers had gotten longer and stronger. “You would really buy me a teddy bear?”

Warm big hand cradled the small head, ruffling the soft hair unblemished from various hair products unlike his now brown hair. Youngmin thought of world peace, of faith in humanity as the girl barely as tall as his waist looked up at him staring with her innocent eyes. This world was worth saving, if she wanted it. Her wish, afterall, was his command.

“Of course, Hayoon-ah. I’m gonna buy you a big one,”

“A big one?”

“Yes, even bigger than you,”

“Really?”

“Of course. Just when did I ever lie to you?”

She hugged him even tighter than possible, widely smiled showing her growing teeth and eyes crinkling making the stars in all galaxies died in shame.

“Never? Thank you, Uncle, you’re the best,”

He ignored the crying for help from his bank account then picked the girl up carefully, the soft material of her turqouise dress felt like home. His world, a princess in another universe. Satisfied smiles on his face could be mistaken as smug in his brother’s eyes though, while her wife looked at the two of them like Youngmin was her own son as well.

“Shall we go then?”

 

 

-

 

 

Youngmin might regret it, just a little.

 

It was all sugar and candy until they arrived at this middle size gift shop who specialized in dolls, seen by the grand collection behind their windows, which Youngmin passed once or twice during his weekly hang outs. It had been some times he hadn’t passed there, but it was the closest to their way and well because months had passed of course they had a little change to their shop.

 

Like.

 

A huge ass, human-sized brown teddy bear who could walk and wave and attract potential customers like charm, every kid’s wildest imagination and dream-come-true.

 

Youngmin hated his mouth sometimes.

 

Fifteen minutes ago he just nodded in greeting when they passed the giant teddy bear after some handshakes and hug, inwardly thinking how hot it must be under that costume in this blaring summer. Hayoon’s ‘whoa’ didn’t leave unnoticed though, and the sparkles in her eyes should probably got taken as initial sign that something would go wrong.

 

“Welcome to Soyou & Hani Gift Shop, how can I help you?” the guy at the cashier with soft pastel apron greeted them warmly, smile blooming on his face like a sunrise. The shop wasn’t too busy but not deserted either since it was only 11 AM in the morning, there were several customers with their kids running around (he flinched seeing those runners afraid they’d bump into things he’d rather not seen mess around) and also young and mid-twenties girls and boys.

“Just wanna look around for my niece’s birthday gift,” he replied the shop employee with equally warm smile then took Hayoon’s hand and led her to the dolls section. Hayoon was silent all along, front teeth biting her thumb and that, that was the second sign if Youngmin had been smarter enough to see.

“So, Hayoon-ah, which one do you want? Uhm, there are those pink ones at the top? Or do you want the yellow one? With checkered necktie?” asked him while looking through rows of dolls. There were many kinds of them, but Hayoon always seemed mesmerized by the teddy bear ones instead of the animals.

Youngmin looked down and realized the 5-year-old was looking up uncomfortably so he picked her up being mindful of her long chiffon dress.

“Just take your time, should we start from the corner first?”

For all 22 years he had lived, Youngmin had only bought dolls for girls twice. Once was for his crush in 8th grade and another was for his ex-girlfriend whom he dated during freshman year. It wasn’t called much experience, but at least he knew what to check before buying this thing. First, for Hayoon the dolls must be allergic friendly, one thing that was the excellence of this shop’s doll products seeing the slogan on its headline. He didn’t want to repeat the incident when he was in middle school. Second, the fur must be soft and the stitches strong so it could last for a long time.

Third.

Third, it had to be something he could actually _buy_.

“I want that one,” his niece raised her hand and pointed her forefinger at his right side.

Youngmin approached the nearest row from there and touched the big yellow teddy bear one in it. “Oh should we take this one? It looks good,”

Hayoon shook her head, then back to point again at the same spot as before.

“No, _that_ one, the big one outside,” she spoke with child tone, referring to the giant teddy bear in front of the shop which was taking a photo with a little boy making the same peace signs together.

So cute.

“Ahaha, that one isn’t for sale, Pretty,” he chuckled, touching the girl’s temple with his forehead.

The college senior was still feeling amused, already sorting out words he’d tell to his parents and hers about this little cute wish of her niece when he took a look at the said niece and saw her eyes were as serious as her brothers when he said he was gonna propose to his now sister-in-law.

“But that’s the only one I want,” she _wept_ , tears started to well up in her eyes and Youngmin was in trouble.

“We can’t buy that, Hayoon-ah,” he cradled her small body and tried to pat her back when she struggled and moved her legs, asking to be put down.

“You can,” the corners of her lips pulled down, wet eyes looking at Youngmin like he’d shattered her whole life. “You promised me, Uncle Youngmin,” the she started to cry. Real cry.

The older tried to hold his composure and hugged the girl to calm her down, but Hayoon pushed off his hands while still staring at Youngmin with eyes that said ‘you just kicked a kitten’ between the small hiccups and rolled down tears.

Customers inside the shop were starting to look their way, some were confused by the source of the crying sound and there were several moms who didn’t even faze, a normal occasion in their daily lives. But for Youngmin, to see Hayoon crying because of him, nearly made him feel like jumping off the cliff to repay for the sins.

“I’m so sorry, baby,” he tried to approach the little girl in turquoise dress again, slowly like a man would to a wounded dog.

“Noo,” she _mewled_ and raised her hand to rub her eyes, body stepped backward to avoid Youngmin’s reach. One step, two steps, then she fully turned back to walk towards the door, all along being stared at by the cashier guy and some customers who chuckled seeing the seemingly cute action which to Youngmin, well yes it was cute but only a little.

She pushed the door with all her might and right away hugged the giant teddy bear’s leg, precisely like she hugged Youngmin’s.  “I want him,”

The person inside the costume seemed shock, fortunately the boy who asked for their photo together had left already, so the guy, or was that a girl, was just waving and posing prettily when a girl crashed into his leg and cried.

Youngmin followed her niece and stood in front of the sight of confused teddy bear, if he could imagine their expression right then, and gave the giant teddy bear an apologize look at the two holes which he hoped what they used them for seeing. Looking at the height which was a bit taller than Youngmin, the person inside might be a guy?

“You promised you would buy me a big one,” Hayoon sobbed, sound muffled by the fur of the teddy bear costume.

“I know, baby,” he crouched down to pat his niece’s back, up and down motion which was infamous for comforting babies when they cried. “I’m sorry, but he is not for sale, right?” Youngmin glanced and smiled at what he thought was their eyes. The person inside the costume nodded and moved their fluffy hand to touch the girl’s head.

There was no voice or words coming out from the cosplayer, though Youngmin could understand they probably didn’t want to scare the kids off. The air was hot, the sun blared fully as it neared mid-afternoon and Youngmin truly respected anyone inside that costume.

Although right then, his focus was truly on his niece, how he couldn’t get her off the bear’s leg, how she wouldn’t stop crying, saying ‘I want him’ in repeat like a morning prayer. He flinched. What should he do then.

The clock was ticking and both Youngmin and the guy in teddy bear costume were still comforting the little girl, one fluffy hand cradled her small head and one big palm patting the her back, while occasionally grabbed her thin body in failed attempts to pick her up because the little girl refused to budge. Youngmin could just softly forcefully lifted her niece to carry her in his arms, if only he was brave enough to do that.

In the midst of pondering ways to ease Hayoon off of the bear or at least make her stop wailing, suddenly there was a dark movement on his right side which took his attention. The guy in teddy bear costume was waving at him, and once Youngmin noticed what he was trying to do the guy shifted his fuzzy bear arm to somewhere across the street.

The 22-year-old followed the guy’s pinpoint to a blue-decorated shop with banner which said “ICE CREAM PARLOR”, and Youngmin had never wanted to kiss someone so hard before.

“Hayoon-ah, how about ice cream? Strawberry ice cream?” he smiled and raised his eyebrows in appreciation towards the guy in teddy bear costume while putting his palm around his niece’s waist attempting to pick her up again. “Come on, baby, you like ice cream right?”

The wailing was then lessening, and Youngmin took it as signal to go on.

“We can buy two cones if you want?”

It did work. Hayoon slowly released her grab on the teddy bear’s leg although her hands still gripped the fur in her last attempt to holding on.

“But Mom said I couldn’t,” she looked at Youngmin (finally) with wet eyes and wet cheeks which made Youngmin coo a little.

Well it was an emergency.

“You can this time,” he wiped her tears with his fingers, reminded himself to wipe her snot with the tissues in his sling bag later. Oh, right, from the damp on the teddy bear costume it seemed that she left some there too. The guilt doubled two times as he glanced at the guy apologetically.

Hayoon still wouldn’t let go that last bit of grip she had on the teddy bear’s fur, so Youngmin stepped up his game.

“We can buy a bucket or two, it’s up to you,” he persuaded the little girl again.

The sight of Hayoon slowly releasing her little fingers from the Mr. Bear was among most beautiful things he saw that day. He hide the relieved sigh that almost got out when he was finally able to pick Hayoon up right away.

After some smiling at nodding at the teddy bear guy Youngmin brought the girl to cross the street toward the Ice Cream Parlor before his niece changed her mind. The teddy bear gave a thumb up toward Youngmin, which made him set a reminder in his head to thank the guy later.

 

Though another problem popped up when Hayoon said she wanted to buy a bucket of ice cream for Mr. Bear, and a diminishing smile from her face left only a sad and disappointed look.

 

Mr. Bear had disappeared and nowhere to be seen.

 

The deep take of breath from the uncle could be heard from his surroundings, almost losing his mind to think of another way to distract his niece again from the upcoming second storm. Youngmin balanced the bag with two ice cream buckets inside it on one hand and her niece’s hand on the other.

“Where is he, Uncle Youngmin?” she asked Youngmin with a kicked puppy expression, a telltale sign of tears emerging and got the older unconsciously flail his arms awkwardly, a habit when he was in near panic.

Not waiting for an answer from her uncle, Hayoon dragged Youngmin back to the gift shop, passing through the crowd glass door and several eyeing customers before stopping in front of the cashier guy who was taking a payment from two teenage girls buying a cat plushie.

“Uncle,” she looked up at the guy, eyes worried. “Do you know where Mr. Bear has gone to?”

The cashier, a short boy wearing a dark blue checkered beret and bright smile, shifted his attention from the walking customers to glance at Youngmin’s little niece. The 22-year-old boy watched as the realization of knowing who was asking the question sinking in slowly in the cashier’s mind, Gwanghyun written on his namecard.

“Oh,” Gwanghyun glanced at Youngmin, the big guy with helplessness written on his face, then glanced back at the little girl, deciding to take pity on Youngmin. “You’re so pretty. What’s your name?” he asked instead, lips stretching, expression bright like the sun outside. Youngmin bet the remaining sum in his account that the boy must have attracted a lot of customers.

A smile from Gwanghyun the stranger, and Hayoon’s resolve crumbled. The girl seemed fazed and blinded by the sudden gummy smile her pout started to disappear, her former inquiry got pushed back to the back of her mind.

“My name is Im Hayoon,” she let go of Youngmin’s hand and put her thumb on her lips. From the corner of her cheeks, red hue began to blush. “What is Uncle’s name?”

The taller guy watched as Gwanghyun crouched down, one knee to the ground leveling his stare with her niece. Even in his panicky state, Youngmin couldn’t help but smile a little seeing the interaction between the two, not to mention the way Hayoon wiping the trace of tears from her face and twirling her hair just like what she did when she first crushed on her daycare teacher.

“My name is Gwanghyun, nice to meet you Hayoon-ah,”

The boy offered his hand and Hayoon stared at his smile in a daze, moving her hand automatically to shake the other’s in greeting when he realized there was a person behind him. It was a customer wanting to pay out, and Gwanghyun sadly stood out looking at Hayoon apologetically.

Not being the center of the cashier boy’s attention anymore, the little girl started to remember what she was doing there at the first place and was about to cry again when at some twist of fate a guy in a white shirt came out from the door behind the cashier area, stopping in front of Youngmin’s niece with a surprised look on his face.

He looked down at Hayoon’s figure, then glanced up at Youngmin, staring right at Youngmin’s eyes.

And he _fricking_ smiled.

Hayoon’s reaction to Gwanghyun earlier was just like her uncle now, though even more awkward because he wanted to go out of the white-shirts-guy’s way but his feet didn’t want to move and his niece was still on the verge of sobbing. So there Youngmin stood, a full college senior with A mark on his essays but got lost for words in front of a guy with almond eyes and lips like a fish.

Also, moles on his cheeks.

“Uncle, have you seen Mr. Bear? He was just out there but now he’s gone,” Hayoon’s sudden trembling voice broke Youngmin out of his trance and got the moles guy bringing back his attention to the girl.

“Hey, Hayoon-ah,” he greeted her, smiling with his slight uneven teeth and suddenly Youngmin’s heart stopped.

“Mr. Bear went home,” he stretched out his hand to place it atop of Hayoon’s head, a gesture that didn’t seem unfamiliar. Wait, her niece’s name, how could he-

Wait.

“Went home?”

The guy, probably the one who had been in the teddy bear costume before and might be taking his lunch break, nodded. “Yes, his mother was waiting for him,”

Now that, that made Hayoon stopped pouting immediately.

“He has a mother?”

The guy smiled. With those lips of his. “Of course he has. She missed him, that was why he left earlier,”

“Oh,”

Again, an act from a stranger and Hayoon calmed down immediately. Did he fail as an uncle all these years?

Disappointment and little girl shouldn’t be in the same sentence, that was what the human Mr. Bear seemed to think as he looked back up at Youngmin (can he stop doing that?) then stared at his niece.

“He left a message for you though. He said those friends,” he pointed at rows of dolls that Youngmin and Hayoon had been looking at before the girl noticed the giant teddy bear outside the window,”they don’t have homes yet. Would you like to take one of them home with you?”

The girl’s sparkling eyes from earlier tears regarded the guy’s words attentively.

“They don’t?”

“They don’t. So, would you?”

She nodded, and for the first time in the last hour, she finally let out a smile.

“Okay then, I’ll adopt them with me,”

The guy’s eyes twinkled. “Hayoon-ah is so kind, thank you so much.”

Three of them made their way to the hallway where the dolls section was located. Youngmin and the guy couldn’t have a long conversation in between Hayoon choosing the dolls she wanted to take home and a small ‘hey, it’s okay’, until the girl made her choice and Youngmin got on his way to pay for the doll.

“Oh, no need,” the guy with moles in his cheeks gripped his arm, softly, making Youngmin halt and turned back to face the teddy bear guy.

He smiled and said apologetically, “I was the one who told her she could have the doll, sorry,” he whispered, “So it’s okay, it’s in the house,”

The incredulity of those words delayed Youngmin’s reply and when he did, it was to a laugh and slow blinking eyes. “No way. I promised to buy her one anyway. And don’t apologize, I should be thanking you for handling this matter so smoothly. I didn’t have any idea how to calm her down earlier,” Youngmin smiled while looking at the guy’s eyes, braving himself because that laugh made him slightly loose around the teddy bear guy.

“You were Mr. Bear, right?” Youngmin asked softly as not to let his niece who was playing with the pink teddy bear she chose hear.

It took a few seconds for the guy to answer.

“Yes,”

“Really, thank you so much,” Youngmin said again, now that the giant teddy bear guy was out of his costume, he was actually shorter than Youngmin and looked around his age, if not younger.

“Oh, nevermind,” the guy rubbed the back of his head in an attempt to hide his probably reddening ears, eyes looking at Youngmin one second then at the floor next. Like this, Youngmin could notice how the guy’s hair was slightly damp, probably from the sweat eventhough his shirt wasn’t. He must have changed. His hair was kinda blond, but golden too. What was it called, strawberry blonde?

Talking about strawberry.

“Here for you,” he pulled out a bucket of ice cream from the bag and placed it in front of the teddy bear guy’s sight. “A thank you gift,” he said softly, readying his heart in case the guy looked up at his eyes again.                      

He did.

The guy with almond eyes wanted to reject it at first, but finally relented when Youngmin said Hayoon wanted to give that to Mr. Bear.

Eyes at Youngmin, kind and bright, lips moving to form words, husky voice, moles on cheeks, smiles like flowers and Youngmin’s heart _thudded._ In a brave one second, all instinct and gut feeling multiplied compelled Youngmin to open his mouth and say,

“What’s your name?”

The guy froze, surprised but not in a bad way.

“Sewoon, I’m Jeong Sewoon. You are-?”

“Youngmin,” he replied just as shy, equally pink blush might decorate his cheeks as well.

“My name is Im Youngmin. Nice to meet you,”

Sewoon looked down at the floor again, small hands clutching the ice bucket, eyes focusing on the maroon mat like something interesting was happening down there.

“Nice to meet you too, Youngmin-ssi.”

 

 

-

 

 

Nonetheless, his brother and his wife laughed uncontrollably when Youngmin told them about the event in the gift shop.

 

He didn’t tell them the full story though.

 

 

-

 

 

Youngmin-ssi became Youngmin-hyung one evening, when the older passed the gift shop on his way to go home after a whole morning and afternoon spent at coffee shop in the area brainstorming his thesis theme with a friend, and realized that he hadn’t apologized for the tears stain on the bear’s costume.

It propelled him stop at the ice cream parlor, the strawberry and chocolate flavor were out so he chose the mint choco one instead, a bucket of happiness in his hand before entering the gift shop.

Gwanghyun was there, with the same dark blue checkered beret, manning the cashier with the same bright smile on a dimming day.

“Welcome to Soyou & Hani Gift Shop, how can I help you?”

Youngmin threw a smile at the brunette, noticing how the shop was kinda slow at the moment.

“Hey, it’s Hayoon’s uncle. You know, uh, the girl who asked for-“

“Of course I remember, hyung,” Gwanghyun smiled wider. “What are you searching for now?”

Suddenly Youngmin became conscious, hand not holding the ice cream flail ever so slightly and he tried so hard not to avoid Gwanghyun’s gaze.

“Uhm, I’m looking for Jeong Sewoon-ssi, actually,” he answered nervously, hoping it didn’t sound weird.

Though apparently he was wrong. Gwanghyun’s bright smiled shifted into an amused one, hand pointing at one corner of the room where somebody stood in a portable stairs lining up the goods on the top shelf.

“Sewoon-hyung, someone’s looking for you,”

Instantly, the guy wearing the white shirt and, _frick_ , a dark blue checkered beret identical to Gwanghyun’s turned his way, eyes slowly realizing the person his brother meant then almost, almost fell from the stairs.

“Oh, hey,” he sputtered and stepped down carefully, hands gripping the bar and Youngmin watched as the way his lean figure descent like a prince in the ballroom.

“Youngmin-ssi?” Sewoon asked when he was in front of Youngmin.

“Hey,” Youngmin greeted. “Sorry if I’m bothering you,” he apologized on the spot, body froze like a statue.

“What’s up?”

Youngmin opened his mouth slowly, hands flailing as he put the ice bucket on Sewoon’s sight again.

“An apology gift, because I forgot Hayoon left her tears stain on your costume that day,” he stammered, eyes couldn’t focus at the others’ eyes so he looked slightly below instead. At his lips, at his moles, anywhere.

“Uhm, it’s fine,” Sewoon murmured back, but he stares hard at the ice bucket and smiled. “Really, you don’t have to,”

“I insist,” persuaded the taller, finally brave himself enough to see the shorter’s almond eyes. “Please?”

Sewoon wanted to reject it again just like what he did on their first meeting, but Youngmin was good at puppy’s eyes even some might say better than his niece and Sewoon loved dogs too much to make an expression of kicked puppy out of the taller. So he accepted the ice cream, regardless it was strawberry flavor or not.

“Thank you, Youngmin-ssi,” he whispered gratefully, fingers shocked as they touched Youngmin’s longer ones briefly during the exchanging.

“Uhm, yeah,” not knowing what to do with his hands now both of them free, he raised one of them to scratched the back of his head. “Should we stop the formality, though? It’s weird. You look like my age,” Youngmin blurted out.

“I was born in 1997,” the shorter proclaimed to him, a slight chuckle came out of his lips.

Youngmin couldn’t help but smile.

“I was a 95 liner,”

The sight of Sewoon’s pink cheeks and blue beret might not leave his daydreams for a while. The younger smiled and the crinkles around his eyes appeared. Oh, Youngmin didn’t know that before.

“You’re a hyung, then, Youngmin-hyung.”

 

 

And then it all started.

 

 

When Youngmin excused himself 20 minutes later, Gwanghyun grinned at his brother with his hamster slit eyes staring at the ice bucket (ugh, the ice must be melting already).

“So, I can have that?”

“No,”

“But you don’t even like mint choco,”

“Well I do now,”

“It tastes like toooothpaste~”

“Shut up.”

 

 

-

 

 

Donghyun had been there when Youngmin got addicted with dancing, always accompanied the older guy everytime he went to dance competition even outside the city (he made friends with Youngmin’s crew and Youngmin listened to his self-composed songs in return, so there was that). Then for 1 year they got to be roommates, he made himself comfortable with the fact that the older loved to drink caramel macchiato daily, fridge full of them there was one time he couldn’t put the groceries in there. Honestly, his childhood friend was like any normal guy, though he could be a little too much sometimes, talking a mile a minute (especially when it was regarding his niece) and acting fed up everytime he and Youngmin’s crew gathered to hug him.

All in all, this might be the first time he thought his hyung went abnormal.

“Another doll? Again?”

Youngmin would raise his eyebrow and looked at the younger judgingly.

“Why? It’s cute,”

“Hyung, your room has like 20 plushies already?”

“So?”

Donghyun frowned.

 

-

 

The thing was, Youngmin has ran out of excuses to visit his favorite gift shop employee lately. There was only so much you could say thank you and sorry for, when he couldn’t think of a reason why Sewoon should receive his ice cream gift, he opted to really come as a customer to buy actual goods from the shop.

It was fine. They had small plushies and other cute stuffs that were friendly for Youngmin’s purse. And if he proposed to longer his part time job hour to get additional bonus, no one needed to know. It had been happening for almost a month.

 

-

 

“A plushie?” Woojin stared at his hyung with flat eyes, a feat so worthy of meme Donghyun thought he should take his camera right now. The rising idol had barely gotten to Youngmin’s and Donghyun’s shared apartment from his magazine photoshoot schedule to celebrate his first birthday after debuting. Youngmin was proud and happy and nearly in tears when Woojin asked if he could visit the two of them along with his fellow member Daehwi.

Although, now, Woojin might regret that decision.

“A teddy bear plushie? Hyung, I have like a hundred of them from my fans?” the glass of soda he was about to drink hang midair, eyes glaring between the yellow teddy bear holding a pillow which said ‘you are beautiful’ and his hyung’s face.

“Why? It’s cute. You have a hundred from your fans but this one, you would only get it from me,”

Donghyun didn’t even choke on his pepsi now and continued to drink unbothered.

 

-

 

“You just gave my wife a teddy bear,” Rhymer his thesis advisor asked him in one of their consulting session.

Youngmin nodded. “Did she like it?”

“It wasn’t even her birthday?”

“As a token of appreciation, Sir, from the dinner both of you offer to me in your house last week,”

Rhymer knew his protégé was a kind boy, sometimes naïve but had leadership skills and capabilities to graduate as cum laude.

“Well,”

So he didn’t tell the kid how his wife really did appreciate it, to the point of wanting to invite him along to their upcoming holiday in Bali. What he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

 

-

 

Sewoon worked at the gift shop from Thursday to Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday being the only days off because he had club activities, Youngmin found out from Gwanghyun. One day at the end of the month when Youngmin as usual visited the gift shop to buy another plushie he didn’t need, Sewoon greeted him with the shock of his life,

“Hey, do want to eat ice cream later?”

And Youngmin the ever awkward gangly guy could only stutter and blabber, “Oh, what flavor do you want?”

Sewoon chuckled. Youngmin’s heart stopped beating.

“I mean at the place, at the ice cream parlor there. You bought me so many ice creams before, eating at the place itself might be a good change of view don’t you think?”

No, Youngmin didn’t think. He just nodded and prayed for his hands to be not cold, please, he had a date in less than 10 minutes.

 

-

 

Donghyun the little bastard was there when Youngmin arrived at the gift shop, leaning on the cashier making Gwanghyun looked redder than his apron. The sight of Sewoon was what stopped him from taking the nearest fragile glass thing and throwing it to the handsome not so little man because, yes, Donghyun was like his brother alright but Gwanghyun was another case entirely. He felt the need to protect the sunshine kid not unlike what he felt toward Hayoon.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

The younger smiled, only gave Youngmin a glance then back at staring at Gwanghyun’s eyes with a smirk.

“I’m just chatting with the cute guy here,”

“Get out.”

 

-

 

“So when are you gonna ask him out, hyung? It’s been like, 4 months already? Even I was faster than you,” Donghyun talked to the older while munching a choco pie, chocolate stain was everywhere from his fingers to his lips, phone held in front of his face and he stared at them like Woojin’s fans looked at their idol. “Right, babe?”

Gwanghyun on the other side replied in soft panic voice so Youngmin couldn’t understand what he was saying. Though he swore one more word of ‘babe’ he heard, he’d kick Donghyun out on the street. His parents’ wrath be damned.

A hidden sigh and small turn up of the corner of his lip went unnoticed by the younger, already absorbed by his boyfriend’s reaction over some cheesy words he’d rather not know.

 

(He was glad Donghyun was happy, but please don’t tell him that).

 

-

 

Contrary to everyone’s belief, he had planned out his confession ever since their 2nd ice cream date though. A brown teddy bear which matched the inner colour of Sewoon’s guitar, hugging a pillow which said ‘I love you’, then asked the boy out.

 

That was it.

 

He just didn’t calculate the possibility of _another person wearing the teddy bear suit_ , so when he held the Mr. Bear’s arm and told Gwanghyun ‘No, I’m not buying the small plushie today, I’m gonna - trembling voice - buy this one,’ and saw the kinda love of his life emerge from the door he first met him, Youngmin prepared himself to run and hide before the said Mr. Bear’s arm held his in return (wow, what a strong grip). The guy inside it took off the head costume, his face reminded Youngmin of Yakuza or Hongkong Mafia he often saw in movies, moreover with frowned eyebrows that promised a whole lot of _pain_ he intended toward the 22-year-old guy.

“Dongho-hyung,” Sewoon called the guy, a bit surprised seeing the sight of Youngmin and his college senior in front of him. Gwanghyun the ever peaceful kid just stood silently (probably taking everything in memory so he could tell Donghyun later).

“Sewoon-ah,” the guy name Dongho started, not losing his grip on Youngmin’s arm. “Is this the so-called guy with mullet hair you’ve been rejecting my sister for?”

Eh.

“Uhm, can you please let him go first?”

Dongho did, and instantly Sewoon grabbed Youngmin’s arm and ran outside to a narrow alley in another block. In between the heaving and laughing, Sewoon took Youngmin’s hand then motion to the teddy bear which magically was still in Youngmin’s grip.

“Can I have that?”

The older stopped breathing, oxygen didn’t seem that necessary when you got a flushed Jeong Sewoon with ruffled hair and smiles which could cure cancer staring at you like you mean _something_ to him.

So Youngmin gathered back his courage that was vanishing when he saw Dongho before, then palm the other guy’s cheeks, thumb rubbing the place his crinkles appeared.

“You can, but be my boyfriend first,” the brave words didn’t match his reddening ears, and Sewoon saw that and felt that.

The younger stood on tiptoes and peck the corner of Youngmin’s lips.

“Hyung, that’s exactly what I’m talking about.”

 

 

 

Youngmin replied it by lips’ touch on the younger’s mouth.

 

 

-

 

 

Six months later, Donghyun went on full panic mode trying to stop Gwanghyun from filing a lawsuit about Youngmin’s excessive skinship with Sewoon in front of him.

 

Donghyun managed to avoid the family feud by kissing the hell out of his boyfriend, which successfully made Gwanghyun forgot what he was thinking and everything.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> original prompt from fia on twitter:  
> YM takes his niece to a teddy bear store to buy one for her birthday, but she insists that she wants to take "the giant bear at the front door" home. And the one who's inside that giant bear costume is part-time worker SW.
> 
> im sorry if this is below your expectation aaaa
> 
> might be back to recheck again...


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